Thermionic tube socket



Oct.14,i94-1. HHEBY 2,259,157"

THERMIONIC TUBE SOCKET Filed Jurie 16, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Oct. 14, 1941. H.VH.EBY 2,259,157

THERMIONIC TUBE SOCKET Filed June 16, l937 2\Sheets-Sheet '2 INVENTOR Patented Oct. 14, ,1941

V 2,259,157 1 p 'rrisnmomc TUBE sooxirr Hugh mfEby. Philadelphia, 1a., llslfllol' to nun H. Eby,- Inc., Philadelphia, Pa. a corporation of Pennsylvania i Application nin 16, 1931, Serial 148,546

2 Claims. (or. 173-339) This invention relates to thermionic tube sockets, and particularly toreceptacles for radio tubes.

The general theoreticalreduirementsfor such devices are well known and include uniform and low contact resistance, uniform and tight prong engagement, strength, attractiveness of appearance, asan attribute of salesappeal at least,

even if mechanically of small moment, and extreme economy in production cost. This latter manifests itself in susceptibility to mass production, in the reduction in amount and expense of material used, and,of probably greatest moment, in reduced labor costs. Other advantageous atftributes include easy and cheap installation,

susceptibility of the receptacle to changed con- .tact relation, ease of attachment of the connectors, etc.

It is among the objects of this invention; to secure each one of the foregoing advantages in socket receptacles; to provide a radio socket receiving housing, for mounting the sockets on a panel, of novelty andhigh ntility; to provide a socket housing in which either a laminated or molded socket receptacle is interchangeably mountable; to improve molded sockets; to improve laminated sockets; to improve contacts for receptacles; to provide a metal stamping in which parts have a snap or push iit .to, assemble a complete socket without eyeletting or riveting and with aminimum of labor; to improve ra'dio.

socket contacts; to provide improvements on my earlier filed applications Ser. Nos. 25,369 matured in; 3 saws. plan b: the bottom. mamas ing plate of the assembly of-Fig. 1.

,- Flg. {4. represents a plan of the mounting ysupp'o'rt of the invention shown in Fig. l.

the pan of Fig.

thereof.

Fig 5, represents a fragmentary elevation of 4 showing the resilient tongue Figs. 6 and 7 represent. successive stages of the mounting assembly of theplates of; Figs. 2

and 3 in the pan or mounting support of Fig. 4

indicating the actionof the resilient tongue with the boss on the upper plate.-

- Fig. 8 represents a perspective of a contact such: as may beassociated with the plates of Figs. 2 and 3.;

Fig. 9 represents a 'fragmentary'plan partially broken away to show the relation of the upper and lower'plates withassociated contacts, in the assembly of Fig 1.

Flg.- 10 represents a [plan of a still further I modified form of mounting support .or stamping,

Fig. 10A represents afragmentary. section through: the pan. of Fig. 10 applicable also to into Patent #2,127,556, August 23, 1938, and f 25,055, whichmatured into Patent No. 2,196,697,

April 9, 1940; to provide aradlo tube-socket and mounting plate so arranged that after positioning the plate on a chassis the socket can be removed, either in whole or in part, to rotate it for variation of indexing; and many other objects and advantages as will become more apparentas the description proceeds.

In the preferred'embodiment of the invention a metal stamping is provided as the mounting support for the socket, within which asocket device is mounted, there being cooperating portions of socket and stamping to anchor the socket within the stamping.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this description;

Fig. 1' represents an assemblyof base and mounting support in plan constituting an exemplification of the invention,

" Fig. 2 represents a plan of the upper insulating plate of the assembled base shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4. V A

Fig. 11 representsa fragmentary section of the pan ofFig. 10. g 7

Fig. 12 represents a fragmentary section through theassembly of Fig; 10.

- Fig. 13 represents a fragmentary vertical section through the pan shown in Fig. 10 with the assembledinsulating supporting plates mounted therein;

Figs 14 represents a "fragmentary 5 section through the pan of Fig. 10, with a removable tool engaging the resilient anchoring device to facilitate seating ofthe" base inthe stamping.

An important factor in 'theilnvention is the facilitation of under panel orover panel mounting, and some preliminaryeonsideration may be given to this part of the development. The panel of a radio receiving chassis, of suitable material, is provided with an aperture, usually circular, within which the socket receptacle is to be disposed." An annular opening is not necessary as oval, ;square, or any other desiredcontour may beprovided, according to the particular demands. The radio socket receptacle is to be mounted either directly in the aperture, supported by the edges of the panel surrounding the aperture, as will later be discussed, or by means of a sub-surface support will be mounted on the panel in alignment ,witlr'the aperture.

The stamping, cageymoun'tih'g support, or

pan, is preferably formed of resilient sheet metal,

althoughmolded metal or insulating materials the broader advantages of the pan support, yet

this is not preferred, and it is preferred to so form the pan that automatic locking assembly follows the 'mere association of the elements.

' It will be recognized that in its broader aspects it makes no particular diiferencewhat sort of radio socket is associated with the metal stampingor mounting frame, whethermolded as described, or molded in part and laminated in part, 'orwhether it comprises two insulating" sheets of elements includingthe type normally called laminated." An illustration of the utilization of the' metal panwhich is arranged with a laminated radio tube socket of novelty and utility, is shown in Figs. l to 9 inclusiveg a In its preferred embodiment an insulating plate Q 90 such as either a laminated sheet or a molding of suitable dielectric'material, is provided with a large center opening 9|, through which the guide prong of the tube may pass, if used. and with a plurality of oval contact apertures 92 disposed concentrically ofthe opening with thelatferal smallest dimension substantially radial of the central aperture or axis. This plate or sheet is substantially square so as to drop into the square pan to disposition upon flange II, and

held against any material 'orapp'reciable lateral shift by the walls 68, 10,113 and H, and may be inserted either before or after the'association .with'the contacts to bedescribed. Obviously a different shape'of pan will utilize a correspond:

ingly different shape'of plates. 7

The contact 93 comprises the tail piece or element 94, thebacking portion 95, from which the side arms or wings 96 and 91 are bent outwardly andthen toward each-other with their side edges slightly spaced by the slot 90, and forming in cross section the generally oval contact substantially accordingto the said Draving patent, although in the broader aspects of the contact-any other cross sectional formmay be resorted to that is'possessed of reduced contact resistance and a tight grip. Theend of the contact is slit longitudinally so that arm 91 has an integral substantially perpendicular .flange I00 arranged to overlie the upper surface of the plateor sheet ,90 adjacent the aperture 92 in which .the contact is disposed and connected to the arm throughout an appreciable extent, preferably, although it is enough if support ofthe arm at a point on the plate spaced from the flanged lip IOI on the backing portion is provided. Flange I00 extends generally longitudinally of the contact-aperture and toward the adjacent contact and its aperture. The backing portionJi hasthe integral substantially perpendicularfiange IOI extending arcuately for an appreciable extent but spaced somewhat fromthe flange I00. Supporting flange IOI on the backingportion overlies the plate and has an edge I02 whichsubstantially extends no closer to the edge of: the supporting flange I00 on the arm of the contact in the adjacent contact -Fig. '7.

aperture, than does the closest point of the other contact arm 96, which has no supporting lug. Another mode of description is that substantially no portion of supporting flange IOI extends past a radius line of the plate tangential to the outer surface of unflanged arm 96.

Obviously the contacts just described can be replaced by other contact and contact apertures arrangement.

It will be apparent that contacts as just described in the plate disclosed will enable the close association of the contacts to comport with the grouping of the contact prongs on the radio tube, without the leakage between contacts that occurs mother-types of sockets. 'A clearance I03 is secured .on the supporting plate.

In the sub-assembly of the articles it is sometimes desirable that the contacts be inserted in the plate and frictionally secured against falling out before a succeeding assembly step. This is not necessarily by a positive looking, as it is preferably merely by a detent, as the upper plate, to be described, completes the positive locking.

Such a detent might comprise the lateral pimple or bump I04 or a resilient tongue I05, suitably located below the supporting flanges, so as to be easily pushed past the opening 92, and to exert frictional resistance (at least) to withdrawal.

Assuming the sheet or plate 90 and the containedcontacts. 93 mounted in the pan of Fig. 10, or in any other shape of pan that might be desired, as a result of manual assembling operations only, it is ready for the cover plate. The cover plate I06 has an axial guide recess I0I, proper to receive the axial guide of a radio tube, and of'smallerdiameter than aperture SI of the bottom plate. Guide groove I08 is formed as a construction of guide recess I01, and the plate has a plurality of prong contact apertures I09, an outer periphery IIO to conform-to the shape of the pan, and is provided with a pair of locking lugs or ears III substantially diametrically spaced apart. wardly on the assembled bottom plate and contacts, as shown in Fig. 6, lugs III push out selected spring lips 80, until the lugs enter and seat in windo'ws or apertures 8| therein, as shown in A feature of interest in connection with the use of laminated sheets in contrast to molded sheets lies in the fact that as provided to the trade the laminated sheets may vary somewhat in thickness. With a fixed predetermined pan construction there may be situations in which because of the thickness variation the parts will be loose and not sufficiently tightly held. In this contingency it is contemplated that flange II may be provided with radial slots to provide a series of fingers II2, which are initially bent slightly upwardly to receive the bottom plate, and which are susceptible to resilient deflection downwardly to such point as may be necessary to enable proper seating and locking of the top plate.

It will be readily appreciated that the assembly of sheets, contacts andpan is' one that permits easy and quick withdrawal of the cover plate to' rotate same to change the indexing by or other predetermined intervals.

'In Figs. 10 to 14 inclusive, there is disclosed a further modification of the pan and laminated sheet base assembly utilizing another form of The plate being pushed down-.

Fig. 4, and has an indented rib I55 formed in the most edgesurface of the two insulating sheets IBI is pushed to retract the lock, to enable the.

plates to seat upon the flange or on the fingers of the flange. Obviously as shown the indexing is by means of the rib I55. In this illustration the locking is largely a frictional matter rather than a positive look as in certain of the other cases described or to be described, and this in zo some cases facilitates reindexing by the ultimate assembler or manufacturing user.

I claim: I

1. In radio tube sockets a mounting support comprising a metal stamping having a panel attaching ear, a wall portion angularly divergent from the attaching ear, a flange angularly divergent from the wall and including a resilient finger' forming. a yielding seat for a radio tube socket.

2. In radio tube sockets a mounting support comprising a metal stamping having a panel attaching ear, a Wall portion angularly divergent from the attaching car, a flange angularly divergent from the wall and including a resilient finger forming a yielding seat for a radio tube socket, and means on said stamping engageable with such radio tube socket to urge same against the finger to anchor the socket in the stamping.

' HUGHREBY. 

